Scientific Rationale

This conference will address the recent explosion of observational data in the field of galactic and extragalactic astronomy, and confront it with advanced theory and numerical simulations. The major open issues in this field will be addressed, including for example: the nature and distribution of dark matter and dark energy, the formation and dynamics of large-scale structure, the evolutionary sequence of galaxies and its populations, the physical properties of galaxies and correlations between them at all redshifts and wavelengths, the interplay between dark matter and gas in galaxies and the IGM at all redshifts, and the role of massive black holes in galaxies. The avalanche of new results from ongoing and anticipated surveys, coupled with new techniques of simulating and modeling galaxy formation, make for a particularly timely and invigorating conference. Speakers are selected from all over the world on the basis of excellence and timeliness of new results, with a certain emphasis toward colleagues of Blumenthal, Faber and Primack, aiming at a landmark symposium in the spirit of Nearly Normal Galaxies 1986.

Conference format

Five days (Monday to Friday), with about 200 participants, a total of 10 sessions of 3 hours each, one special evening session, and a banquet. Invited lectures of 25-30 minutes including discussion and contributed talks of 15 min. The conference will be followed by a one-week interactive workshop for a smaller number of participants, organized separately.

Contact

Coordinator: nng@astro.ucsc.edu

Sponsors

UCO/Lick Observatory
CfAO
Max-Planck-Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics

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Last Modified: 01/10/05 ---- nng@astro.ucsc.edu